For this lead glazing a quantity of strip lead, the section of which is shown in Fig. 11, will be required. This can be purchased from dealers in art-glass supplies. The lead is sold on spools and it must be straightened before it can be worked. This is most easily done by fastening one end and pulling on the other. The glass for this work must be reasonably thin as no advantage is gained by the use of thick material, and it is difficult to cut. A piece of art glass has a right and a wrong side, the side on which the spots and streaks appear is the right side, and it is cut on this side. The tools required are a glass cutter, a heavy knife and soldering appliances.
(Fig. 11)
Sketch out the lines of the design full size on paper, drawing in only one side of a symmetrical pattern and tracing the other. After the design has been prepared, the next step is to make a cutting pattern. To do this, take a piece of tracing cloth and lay it on the drawing. Trace the lines and go over them with a brush dipped in black, making the lines exactly the same thickness as the core of the lead, or the thickness of the distance the glasses are separated from one another, as shown in Fig. 11. Each division is marked for the color it is to be and the paper is then cut into sections on each side of the broad line. These pieces form the patterns for cutting similar shapes from heavy cardboard which serve as templates for cutting the glass.
Proceed to cut the glass by laying a pattern on the right side and scoring around with the cutter guided by the pattern. Little difficulty will be experienced in this work if the general design does not have very irregular shapes.
(Fig. 12)
When the various pieces of glass have been successfully cut and are ready for leading up, arrange them in position on the preliminary sketch, and then measure the outside leads and cut one piece for each side, the lead being cut to fit against the core of the other at the joint, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. Proceed to cut the lead for the long curves obtaining the length by bending the strips along the lines of the design. As each is cut it will be found convenient to tack it in position on the working table by means of small brads, so as to simplify the measuring and cutting of the other parts. Continue until the panel is complete, when, after truing up, it is ready for soldering. This is done in the usual way but requires extraordinary care to avoid the possibility of melting the lead. The overlapping parts of the leads are pressed well against the glass in each division to keep it from rattling.
The Lead Frame is First Made, the Long Lines are Put in and Then the Short, Horizontal Ones (Fig. 13)